Featured letter: Thanks from the coach

After being extended by a month and five playoff games, this year’s basketball season has come to an end. It’s been a great year and a wonderful journey. A big part of what has made this season so special is our Island community, school, students and alumni.

As we progressed through the playoffs, the distance to the games got greater and greater, and our crowds of fans grew bigger and bigger. After each game, arrangements were instantly made to get transportation for our fans, students and community to our next game.

I would like to personally thank my wife Rebecca, Garth Griffin and the Town Recreation Department, Mike Hynes and Jacki Dunning from our school district, Cliff Clark and South Ferry, the 10K Community Fund, the Lions Club, the Highway Benevolent Association, the Police Benevolent Association, Margaret and David Doyle, George Kneeland, and all others who donated money and time so that this would happen. Special thanks to all the fans that traveled miles and spent hours out of their lives to support us and the alumni, who I haven’t seen in years, who also traveled hours to support us. And, many thanks to our post season community sponsors: Shelter Island ACE Hardware, Binder Pools and Liberty Lawn & Landscape.

I can’t pretend to be the master of this year’s success. I am just one piece to the puzzle that is our coaching staff. Again, I want to personally thank Jim Colligan, Jay Card, Ian Kanarvogel and Jimbo Theinert for all they have done and sacrificed to make our program a success.

To our athletes: I want to say that I am proud not of your victories, but of your hard work and effort and the way you have conducted yourselves on and off the court. We have all learned things about ourselves and our teammates and we will carry these lessons with us forever.